Malaysians protest against Section 114A, a law that curtails Internet freedom

Malaysians held an ‘Internet Blackout Day‘ yesterday to push for a review of the controversial Section 114A, an amendment to the Evidence Act that critics say obstructs freedom on the Internet.

Section 114A is designed to enable law enforcement officials to more easily hold individuals accountable for harmful Internet content. The amendment presumes that individuals are guilty if defamatory content can be traced to their username, electronic device, or wifi network, according to the Stop144A website.

Critics charge that the law, which was passed earlier this year, may have some unintended effects. Innocent parties may be unfairly implicated and wrongly accused of publishing seditious content, while cyber criminals could get away scot-free by manipulating a person’s computer or user account to make it seem like their victim are responsible for the offending content.

Internet innovation in Malaysia could be affected as well, since startups may become liable for offensive user-generated content that is sometimes difficult to eliminate entirely.

Several Malaysian websites, personalities, and organizations have participated in the online protest, which was coordinated by the Centre for Independent Journalism. According to The Star, news portals like Malaysiakini and Free Malaysia Today have displayed pop-ups on their sites. The Star columnists Marina Mahathir and Niki Cheong also took part with online banners denouncing the law. The Bar Council joined in too.

In response, Malaysian Prime Minister Mohd Najib Tun Razak has tweeted that the Cabinet will be giving the amendment a second look:

I have asked Cabinet to discuss section 114A of the Evidence Act 1950. Whatever we do we must put people first .

— Mohd Najib Tun Razak (@NajibRazak) August 14, 2012

By law, the next Malaysian General Election must be held by 27th June 2013, which means that the ruling UMNO party faces public pressure to appease to the demands of voters.

The protest echoes a similar initiative in the United States in protest of a proposed ‘SOPA’ bill, which aims to protect copyright owners but has been criticized as an attack on Internet freedom.